Latest news with #Roger
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Storm star Papenhuyzen meets with Rugby360 bosses in Melbourne
The 32-year-old, who is on around $550,000 at the Warriors next year, still has one more year to run on his current deal but is poised to double his salary in the twilight of his career if the new competition gets off the ground. 'Roger comes off his current NRL contract in 2026, and as part of that planning, I threw this in front of him and asked if he had any interest in this option,' Tuivasa-Sheck's agent Bruce Sharrock said of the R360 offer. 'He said, 'Why wouldn't I?' I've always encouraged all my players to look at all options, and that's where we are at right now.' The competition needs to hit three major triggers to secure private equity funding before it can become a reality. The first is to have the franchises purchased and legally drafted. The second requires the confirmation of a broadcast partner, while the third element of the deal requires organisers to secure 200 players. All three targets must be reached by the end of September. Danny Townsend – the CEO of SURJ Sports Investment, the sports arm of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, – says the concept isn't being backed by them despite reports suggesting they were looking to join forces with competition organisers. 'We've not had any conversations with R360 and at this stage are not looking at any rugby investment,' he said. ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys recently warned players of the risk of signing with R360. 'Whoever goes with them, if they are going to go with them, they are taking an almighty risk because no-one has seen a business model, no-one has seen how they are going to generate revenue,' V'landys recently told News Corp. 'It's like anything – if it seems to be too good to be true, it just might be. It's like when you make an investment. You might get a greater return, but you're also taking a bigger risk. The first thing I would ask myself is how are they going to pay for this. I would want to understand how they are going to fund it,' he said. 'I would caution players to do a risk analysis. We're keeping an eye on it but everything so far, you can't substantiate how it will happen.' In Sydney for an announcement for 2027 Rugby World Cup tickets, World Rugby boss Alan Gilpin addressed the R360 concept, which would require WR sign off to get up and running. Gilpin said the competition would need to observe the existing 'Regulation 9' release windows for players to be able to play Test rugby for their countries through the year. Loading Theoretically, it could open the door for Papenhuyzen, and other NRL recruits, to be called up by the Wallabies. Rugby Australia's current policy is that players must compete in Super Rugby to be eligible for Test selection, but the Wallabies coach can pick three offshore based players per series under the 'Giteau Law'. 'We need to have a dialogue with those guys when they are ready to do that. Rugby needs investment. Rugby is, and Australia is, a great example, in a really competitive environment,' Gilpin said of R360. 'Around the world, every sport and beyond sport is competing in an ever more difficult attention economy. Investment into the game is great. As long as that investment is driving into the right areas and creating a more financially sustainable game for players, for the wider ecosystem, then we encourage it. We've got to understand what that means in the R360 case. 'The position is that whatever competitions arise, we know players want to play international rugby. In our sport, the international game is the pinnacle of the game. Players want to play in World Cups, they want to play in the Olympic Games ... Whatever new concepts, whether it is R360 or otherwise, which are being discussed with players, Regulation 9 and that whole concept of player release for defined international windows is key.'
The Age
2 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Storm star Papenhuyzen meets with Rugby360 bosses in Melbourne
The 32-year-old, who is on around $550,000 at the Warriors next year, still has one more year to run on his current deal but is poised to double his salary in the twilight of his career if the new competition gets off the ground. 'Roger comes off his current NRL contract in 2026, and as part of that planning, I threw this in front of him and asked if he had any interest in this option,' Tuivasa-Sheck's agent Bruce Sharrock said of the R360 offer. 'He said, 'Why wouldn't I?' I've always encouraged all my players to look at all options, and that's where we are at right now.' The competition needs to hit three major triggers to secure private equity funding before it can become a reality. The first is to have the franchises purchased and legally drafted. The second requires the confirmation of a broadcast partner, while the third element of the deal requires organisers to secure 200 players. All three targets must be reached by the end of September. Danny Townsend – the CEO of SURJ Sports Investment, the sports arm of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, – says the concept isn't being backed by them despite reports suggesting they were looking to join forces with competition organisers. 'We've not had any conversations with R360 and at this stage are not looking at any rugby investment,' he said. ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys recently warned players of the risk of signing with R360. 'Whoever goes with them, if they are going to go with them, they are taking an almighty risk because no-one has seen a business model, no-one has seen how they are going to generate revenue,' V'landys recently told News Corp. 'It's like anything – if it seems to be too good to be true, it just might be. It's like when you make an investment. You might get a greater return, but you're also taking a bigger risk. The first thing I would ask myself is how are they going to pay for this. I would want to understand how they are going to fund it,' he said. 'I would caution players to do a risk analysis. We're keeping an eye on it but everything so far, you can't substantiate how it will happen.' In Sydney for an announcement for 2027 Rugby World Cup tickets, World Rugby boss Alan Gilpin addressed the R360 concept, which would require WR sign off to get up and running. Gilpin said the competition would need to observe the existing 'Regulation 9' release windows for players to be able to play Test rugby for their countries through the year. Loading Theoretically, it could open the door for Papenhuyzen, and other NRL recruits, to be called up by the Wallabies. Rugby Australia's current policy is that players must compete in Super Rugby to be eligible for Test selection, but the Wallabies coach can pick three offshore based players per series under the 'Giteau Law'. 'We need to have a dialogue with those guys when they are ready to do that. Rugby needs investment. Rugby is, and Australia is, a great example, in a really competitive environment,' Gilpin said of R360. 'Around the world, every sport and beyond sport is competing in an ever more difficult attention economy. Investment into the game is great. As long as that investment is driving into the right areas and creating a more financially sustainable game for players, for the wider ecosystem, then we encourage it. We've got to understand what that means in the R360 case. 'The position is that whatever competitions arise, we know players want to play international rugby. In our sport, the international game is the pinnacle of the game. Players want to play in World Cups, they want to play in the Olympic Games ... Whatever new concepts, whether it is R360 or otherwise, which are being discussed with players, Regulation 9 and that whole concept of player release for defined international windows is key.'
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
BBC Breakfast viewers fume 'that's enough' as they complain about Euro coverage
BBC Breakfast viewers took to social media on Sunday morning to beg for "any other news" as they issued the same complaint about the show. BBC Breakfast viewers expressed their frustration during Sunday's programme. With the Women's Euro 2025 final set to commence later that day, the corporation devoted significant airtime to covering the build-up to the match. Despite the growing anticipation on the programme regarding whether the England Lionesses could reclaim their championship crown following their 2022 Euro triumph, certain viewers were far from pleased with the comprehensive coverage. One individual remarked:"Yessss, more women's football said nobody ever." Another person commented: "For god's sake, it's BBC Breakfast, not Match of the Day. Jump on a bandwagon." A further viewer exclaimed: "Give it a f****in' rest FFS." With one irritated fan adding: "No more lionesses. That's enough, f******g hellfire. "FFS let's talk about the lionesses again, no let's not," remarked another. As one viewer shared: "Any other news but football??" Someone else posted: "I'm Bored with the England coverage now; way too much time is being spent on it." Another added: " Who the bl***y cares?" Throughout the broadcast, Rachel and Roger chatted to former England goalkeeper and current pundit Rachel Brown-Finnis, who was broadcasting live from Basel ahead of the fixture, reports the Express. The BBC presenter asked: "How are you feeling this morning? Put aside your professional head for a moment. We will get into the football, but just how's the gut this morning?" Rachel responded: "As it has been throughout, to be honest, it's been pretty steady! I genuinely mean that. Even though the highs and the lows, the quarter-finals, the knockout games, which pretty much started from the Netherlands game, we had to win that, otherwise, we were out!". "So, yeah, really kind of- I've grown with confidence with the tournament. Seen us claw it back from two-nil, seen it clawed back from one-nil. I even think we might go into the league today, how about that!". Later in the programme, BBC Breakfast featured a compilation of messages from famous personalities sending their best wishes to the England Lionesses. Celebrity supporters included Claudia Winkleman, Romesh Ranganathan, Matt Baker, Ross Kemp, Naga Munchetty, and Charlie Stayt. as England face Spain.
Spectator
4 days ago
- Spectator
The remote Spanish wine region that rivals Rioja
A.E. Housman once wrote that the English villages of Clunton and Clunbury, Clungunford and Clun 'are the quietest places under the sun'. He's almost right. I grew up in Clunton and the only place I've felt a deeper sense of quiet is Escaladei, a village high up in the mountainous Priorat region of Spain, which is home to the Cellers de Scala Dei vineyard. Getting there from Barcelona isn't for the faint of heart, as the roads weave erratically along the hillsides. Driving there, I gripped the steering wheel tightly and drowned out my fears with music from a local reggaeton station. Once safely at the vineyard, Roger, our guide, impressed on us the importance of two things in Priorat: Garnacha and monks. The Carthusian monastery of Scala Dei was founded in 1194 by monks who had come from France to set up their first Spanish religious community. Its impressive ruins still stand high above the village, with cypress trees flanking the entrance. The monastery, so legend has it, got its name when the monks met a shepherd who told them he had seen angels climbing a ladder – or stairway – to heaven at the summit of nearby Montsant. Some 70 years later, the monks became interested in viticulture and started planting vines. Their interest paid off: Priorat is one of only two regions to have been awarded Spain's highest-level designation of origin, alongside Rioja. Now the area has more than 550 vineyards, most of which are dedicated to growing top-quality red Garnacha. 'Garnacha is God in Priorat,' Roger explained, pushing open a heavy wooden door and showing us into the cellar, with its high vaulted ceilings and thick stone walls. Half the ceiling is blackened; in another life, it was split into two rooms. One had been used as an office from which monks were once forced to flee by invading forces, burning their paperwork behind them. It felt almost like a tomb. Here the wine lies, undisturbed, in 100 per cent French oak barrels for at least a year before the locals even think about bottling it. The oak softens and rounds the wine, imparting complex secondary undertones while putting Garnacha's distinctive fresh red fruit flavours front and centre. It's a labour of love and a salute to the traditions that have kept these wines almost unchanged for hundreds of years. A sign on the door lists the items banned from the cellars: cigarettes, flammable liquids, cats. 'They are always sneaking in here,' Roger said. 'We try to stop them – but they're smarter than us.' Dogs, he explained, are also a menace for the vineyard workers. Escaladei is home to just 12 residents and they largely let their animals roam free. All the focus of the village is on the wine, which perhaps explains why it is so good. The quiet is almost oppressive, but the beauty of the area – with its sandy slate buildings and green wooden slatted shutters – lifts it a little. Roger, who comes from nearby Poboleda (another small wine-making village), says the people of Priorat have wine in their blood. It's been a hard-won fight to keep that blood flowing: a phylloxera pest devastated vineyards across Europe in the late 19th century, and many were lost entirely. Hordes of locals fled, and the economy – reliant at the time on the wine industry – was decimated. Scala Dei persisted. We tasted the 2022 Blanc de Scala Dei and the 2023 Scala Dei Pla dels Àngels, a white and a rosé both made using grapes from one of the vineyards in the mountains. That the vines are planted between 1,500 and 2,000 feet above sea level gives the resulting wines a certain breeziness, as though the wind passing over the grapes at such a high altitude has made its way into the bottle. The 2022 Scala Dei Prior was a full-bodied red that stained my lips, and I bought a bottle to be drunk later. At Gran Hotel Mas D'en Bruno, a short drive from Escaladei, the terracotta walls stand out against a background of dark soil and green vines. The main building, which houses most of the hotel's 24 rooms, is the old masia (the Catalan word for farmhouse), which has been renovated in keeping with tradition. The hotel is set in one of the region's most prestigious vineyards, Clos de l'Obac, which has produced wines since 1989 and helped to put Priorat on the map. From some of the rooms, you can reach out and touch the vines. Its owner, Carles Pastrana, is revered as one of the cincos magnificos – five magnificent ones – for reinvigorating the region in the 1980s. The food at Mas d'en Bruno more than matches the quality of the local wines. This is down to twenty-something chef Josep Queralt, who is often talked up in the Spanish press as the country's next big thing. He runs Vinum, the more formal of the hotel's two restaurants. His food celebrates the produce and the history of Priorat as much as the wines do. Civet of local wild boar appeared, the animal's blood infused through the sauce to thicken it. It was almost indistinguishable in colour from the deep ruby of the accompanying wine, a 2021 Pas Curtei DO Penedès, which was reminiscent of a Bordeaux but produced in Catalonia. To finish, two thin-stemmed glasses filled with a thick, raisin-scented nectar arrived at our table, a 2021 Pedro Ximenez. I returned to Barcelona, to its loud streets and cramped but charming alleyways, filled with bars, music, life. It was a far cry from the calm of Priorat. For my last meal in Spain, I reached again for a bottle of Garnacha – white this time. Rioja wine may be Spain's most renowned, but for a truly religious experience, it must be Priorat. They've got God on their side. Suites at Gran Hotel Mas d'en Bruno start from £325 a night and transfers from Barcelona airport start from £260. A version of this article first appeared in the The Spectator's August 2025 World edition.
Mint
5 days ago
- General
- Mint
‘There is deer on the runway': Pilot of Alaska Airlines flight issued warning moments before hit
A video showing an Alaska Airlines plane striking multiple deer on a runway has gone viral on social media, prompting an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The incident occurred at Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport, where a Boeing 737 aircraft hit more than two deer while landing. The clip shared on X captures the moment the plane begins to descend. As it moves along the runway, it runs into several deer wandering across the tarmac. The video ends with the aircraft coming to a complete stop. An X user who posted the footage wrote, 'An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 hit a few deer while landing at Kodiak Airport.' According to a report by CNN, which cited the pilots had spotted the animals before touching down and alerted air traffic control. 'There is deer on the runway,' the pilot said after receiving landing clearance. The control tower responded, 'Roger, do you have an idea of where they are at currently?' The pilot then replied, 'The intersection.' A spokesperson for Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport told CNN that the plane's main landing gear was damaged in the incident and would need repairs in Kodiak. As a result, all passenger flights to and from the airport were cancelled for the rest of the day. Affected travellers were rebooked on alternative flights. CNN reported that animal collisions involving aircraft are fairly frequent across the United States. Last year alone, over 22,000 such incidents were recorded — including five at Kodiak Airport. While bird strikes are the most common, 2024 has also seen planes hit an alligator in Florida, a mongoose in Hawaii, and a badger in North Dakota. Despite the collision, all passengers and crew aboard the Alaska Airlines flight were unharmed, and no injuries were reported.
